The present invention relates to a display rack having side-by-side channels, and more particularly to such a display rack wherein each channel has a front member spaced above the track.
Typically a display rack for supporting and displaying articles is either of a horizontal type--wherein a spring or some other means must be provided to move the articles (e.g., bottles) in the channel forwardly as the lead article is removed therefrom--or a gravity fed type--wherein the front is inclined downwardly so that the articles in the channel move forwardly under the influence of gravity as the lead article is removed from the channel. The display rack defines a plurality of channels, the various channels typically being united by virtue of a common floor or track, with the sidewalls of each channel being defined by movable partition members or, in the case of the outer sidewalls of the outer channels, the upstanding sidewalls of the track or floor member.
The present invention is especially adapted for use as a gravity-fed display rack wherein the articles freely move down the channel, on top of the track and intermediate the sidewalls, under the influence of gravity.
In a conventional display rack the track of each channel is provided with either a front wall or a front lip which extends upwardly in front of the track a short distance sufficient to restrain further forward movement of an article traveling down the channel. Because it is desirable for the display rack to put on view to a potential customer as much as possible of the front of the leading article in the channel, the front wall or front lip is typically only an inch or two high, often less than that. However, as the articles increase in size--most commonly by the articles being made taller--there is an increasing tendency for the articles encountering the front wall or front lip to topple forwardly over that front wall or lip and either to rest thereon at an angle or to fall from the display rack entirely onto the floor. The tendency of the articles encountering the front wall or lip to topple forwardly arises out of the fact that, for reasons concerned with the molding operation, the back of the front lip is typically not strictly vertical, but rather sloped upwardly and forwardly. Where the track is dirty and contains debris or sticky particles, the article may topple forwardly as it travels down the track, even before it reaches the front wall or front lip. Where the article is the only article in the channel, there is also a tendency for the article, after hitting the front wall or lip, to bounce back and topple backwards onto the track.
In order to overcome this toppling tendency, many display racks have been provided with a transversely extending front member which is secured to or passes through the sidewalls of the channels and is disposed at a height above the top of the track such that the front member cooperates with the raised front wall or lip in arresting the forward motion of the article down the channel, presumably without toppling of the same. Of course, one disadvantage of the provision of such a front member is that, like the front wall or lip, it interferes with a full viewing of the front of the lead article by the potential customer. A further disadvantage of the known front members is that they must be assembled by the user with the remainder of the display rack into an operating position. Thus, there is introduced the additional expense of at least one additional piece which must be shipped and manually assembled at the site in order to provide a front member. The joint between the display rack and the additional piece is typically not as strong as it would have been if the additional piece were an original molded portion of the display rack. The sidewalls of the channel must also be of greater thickness than otherwise to receive and maintain the additional piece; this is unacceptable because thicker channel sidewalls waste valuable freezer space by reducing the number of channels which a display rack of given width may have. Yet another disadvantage of the known front members is that a single front member serves for all or a plurality of the channels of the display rack, so that, when it is necessary to simply add on or subtract a channel from the display rack, one must have the appropriate number of channels for the front member used by the display rack, thereby destroying the desirable modularity of the display rack system.
In order to provide a full view of the front of the lead article, display racks have been developed wherein the articles are supported not at the bottom thereof, but rather at the top thereof. Thus, the display racks used for bottles may grab the bottles about the neck--see, for example, the display racks available under the tradenames NECK-TRACKER or NECK-GLIDE. Such racks are too expensive for conventional use, however.
In use, there is typically wasted space in front of and behind the display rack. For example, where the shelf supporting the display rack is disposed within a refrigerator, the shelf does not actually extend up to either the front door or the rear wall of the refrigerator and neither does the article-carrying length of the display rack. The failure of the article-supporting display rack length to extend to the rear wall of the refrigerator only wastes space that might otherwise be occupied by articles presented for sale by the display rack. However, the failure of the article-supporting display rack length to extend up to the front panel of the refrigerator furthermore reduces the visibility of the lead article in each channel to the potential customer and invites the retailer to affix signs and other items on the rear of the front panel, such items blocking the leading articles from view by the potential customers.
In the use of a fixed width display rack, there is typically wasted space to at least one side of the display rack. For example, where the shelf supporting the display rack is disposed within the refrigerator, unless the display rack fully occupies the shelf supporting it within the refrigerator, space is wasted which could otherwise have been used to store articles for sale. Accordingly, it is desirable to have a modular display rack typically consisting of a five or six channel wide main module, a double width module having two channels side by side, and a single width module having only a single channel. With a variety of such modules, a display rack can be created in situ which typically closely fills the available width of the shelf.
Separate elements, such as clips, have been used for joining the modules together in a side-by-side relationship. Such separate elements, however, often become lost during shipment of the display rack modules to the retailer, are difficult to assemble with the modules, or fail to provide the desired rigidity to the assembled modules. Modules have also been combined without the use of clips to various horizontal or vertically expending dovetail key/keyhole connectors, and the like. Such connectors have been known to create problems for the molders, or result in weak or loose connections, or to be difficult to assemble. Accordingly, the need remains for means for releasably securing modules together which do not create problems for molders and result in a tight and secure connection via a simple assembly process.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a display rack having at least one elongate channel, each channel in one preferred embodiment being of integral, one-piece, unitary construction inexpensively formed in a single plastic molding operation.
Another object is to provide such a display rack, in a preferred embodiment, which has a front member spaced above the track and at least partially bridging the sidewalls so that the bottom of the front member, the top of the front of the track and the front of the sidewalls define an aperture through which the front of a leading article in the channel may be viewed by a potential customer.
A further object is to provide such a display rack which, in one preferred embodiment, is characterized by the front of the track being devoid of any transversely extending upstanding upper wall or lip, and the front member being spaced above the track sufficiently to engage the leading article in the channel adjacent to and above the center of inertia thereof.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a display rack wherein, in one preferred embodiment, the front of the lead article in the channel is totally visible.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a display rack which, in a preferred embodiment, uses a modified key-and-keyhole releasable locking system for a pair of adjacent display rack channels.
It is yet another object to provide a display rack wherein, in one preferred embodiment, the channel can extend forwardly and/or rearwardly beyond the support therefor.